God’s Plot to Kill Jesus

John 11:45-57

The Plot to Kill Jesus

45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."

49 And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish." 51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. 54 Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

55 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. 56 Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?" 57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.

Many who saw what Jesus did with Lazarus were convinced, convicted, and believed in Him as a result of the glory and power of God on display in Him.  There were others who had rejected the Lord of life and sought His death instead, not realizing they were seeking their own eternal death in doing that by turning to continue sin away (John 3:19-20, 12:48) from Him.  These antichrists went to the Pharisees who already were after the end of Jesus who threatened their religion which they pursued in opposition to the scriptures which they claimed to be upholding to justify murder and rejection of what God told them in those very same words.  The religious leaders therefore held a council to determine the end of this man of God who they refused to hear and set themselves against with stony hearts (Ezekiel 36:26) instead of believing to receive a new heart filled with the intent of the Law in mercy and grace.  They simply could not see allowing the people to continue to hear Jesus and turn to follow Him instead of them.  They also imagined that the Messiah had to deliver the nation from the oppression of Rome which Jesus was not doing; they misinterpreted the scriptures to miss that freedom from sin and its penalty was the true release from bondage and oppression for which the Messiah had come to accomplish.  Prophetically, the high priest Caiaphas spoke how it was necessary for an atoning sacrifice of one man to be made to save the nation, as well as people from every nation as promised to and through Abraham and the lineage of Adam and king David.  They only surface of that truth as they had mistaken all of the intent of the scriptures and so sought to kill the Messiah to save themselves instead of realizing it was God’s plan (Isaiah 49:6, Galatians 3:8-9) to allow them to kill His Son and buy atoning redemption as He laid down His life in place of theirs and ours!  These men set against the Lord and His Anointed (Psalm 2:2-3) then put out a contract to murder their King and Jesus kept mostly out of sight and their reach until the time was right and He fulfilled the work and then laid down His life willingly in His time and in the place of history prepared before the foundation of the world to pay the price of fallen man from Eden’s spoiled paradise.  The Lord took His followers to Ephraim for awhile as many talked about who He was and whether or not Jenwould show Himself at the temple for Passover.  The Pharisees and chief priests who thought they had so much to lose commanded the people to report any sightings of Jesus to them straightaway as they waited to capture and kill Jesus as He was waiting to deliver Himself over to them to die at the right appointed time as an unending sacrifice once for all as it is explained in Hebrews 10:10 and other places (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 7:27, 9:12) to bring a covering for sin which was given by God by example (Genesis 3:15, 21).  The yearly sacrifices (Leviticus 16:34) were just a shadow of the one lasting sacrifice to come in the Christ who sacrificed Himself while also serving as a perfect High Priest on our behalf who believe and receive Him and His work (John 6:29) to deliver from sin’s bondage which ruled us with an eternal death penalty.  The plot to kill Jesus was orchestrated by God Himself to pay our price for sin and reconcile all who believe and receive (John 1:12) Him.  God killed His Son for our salvation and reconciliation.  What a plan of grace and love!